Rebecca Thompson

Rebecca Thompson is a doctoral student in the Applied Intercultural Arts Research Graduate Interdisciplinary Program. An alumna of the University of Arizona, she has a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education, a Master of Science in Art Education from Elmira College, and a Master of Fine Arts in Fine Arts from Cornell University. Rebecca has produced art for over 15 years, using sustainable materials and developing her curiosity about the history of sites and land use. This curiosity is integral to her research, in which she explores how to develop sustainable mindsets and embodied experience in art education. Through the development of interdisciplinary gardens and outdoor learning spaces, Rebecca believes educators can counteract the "throw away" habit and instead instill a sense of respect and value for the planet and humanity. Rebecca has lived all over the United States, holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is an avid gardener in Japanese and traditional English styles as well as those proposed by landscape designer Frank Law Olmsted.